Hell House
by Dede42
Summary: Learning of a possible haunted house in a small Texas town, the Winchesters go to investigate while Dean and Sam prank each other in the process; while there, they come across a pair of wanna-be Ghostbusters, whose website causes trouble with the case, and leads to a person dying. Can the Winchesters stop whatever is haunting the house, or will they become victims, too?
1. Chapter 1 A HAUNTED HOUSE?

Supernatural: Hell House

A/N: Time for one of my favorite episodes! One of the reasons I like this episode is both the pranks that Dean and Sam pull on each other, and the wanna-be Ghostbusters; also, so you know that there will be an important notice at the end of the chapter concerning next week.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_ or from _Criminal Minds_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: A HAUNTED HOUSE?**

Richardson, Texas

Two Months Ago…

A group of teenagers, three boys and one girl, were walking through the forest at night with a single flashlight between them.

"Come on, man, is it much further?" one boy asked, shivering inside his jacket. "I'm really cold."

"It should be just up here," Craig told his friends as he led the way with his flashlight until they reached a clearing that had a large, abandoned house sitting in the center of it.

"Whoa," the girl gasped.

Craig grinned. "There we go."

"How'd you find this place anyway, Thurston?" the first boy asked, impressed.

"My cousin told me about it," Craig answered.

The girl backed up a little. "Oh, I am _so_ not going in there."

"Wusses," the first boy teased.

"Well, we came all the way out here," Craig remarked. "Might as well check it out."

"Let's just hurry this up and get back to the car, alright?" the first boy agreed. "It's friggin' cold out here," he added as both he and Craig walked towards the house while the girl and the third boy remained behind.

"Want me to hold your hand?" the third boy offered, holding out his hand to her; she sighed, took it, and they started walking. "Are there any other parts I can hold?" he added with a sly smile.

She gave him a disgusted look and pulled her hand free. "Ew, shut up, you loser!" She pushed him and walked away.

"Oh, come on!" the third boy protested. "What?" And he followed after her.

* * *

The four teenagers entered the old house and they looked around; there was a pentagram drawn on the floor, along with various symbols on the walls.

"No way," said the third boy. "Look at all this stuff."

Craig chuckled. "Come on. It's this way." And he led the group into another room. "They say that he lives in a root cellar," he said in a spooky voice. "Goes after girls…always girls. Just strings 'em up."

"They say?" the first boy repeated, skeptical. "Who's they? Where'd you hear this crap?"

"I told you, my cousin," Craig responded.

The first boy raised his eyebrows, still skeptical. "And where'd she hear it?"

Craig shrugged. "I don't know. She just heard it."

"Whatever," the first boy muttered, took the flashlight from Craig. "Give me that thing." He then opened another door and led them down a flight of stairs.

"Oh, look…it's the evil root cellar," the first boy joked. "You know, where Satan cans all his vegetables." He noticed at the others were still on the stairs. "Oh, get your candy-asses down here and see for yourselves. It's just a basement full of skank-filled jars in some crap farmhouse," he pointed out.

The other three teenagers came downstairs and looked around.

"I don't see anything scary. Do you?" the first boy asked and laughed. The three of them stopped and stared, frightened, at something behind the boy, and his smile faded. "What? What? What is it?" he asked, confused; when no one gave him a direct answer, he slowly turned around and saw a young woman with blonde hair, hanging from the rafters. Dead. Terrified, he screamed.

* * *

Present day…

Dean was driving the Impala down the interstate with Sam sitting up front and was sleeping, and Liz was in the backseat, reading. Dean glanced over at Sam's sleeping form and got an idea; he picked up a plastic spoon and stuck it in his little brother's mouth, relieved when he didn't wake up.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Liz asked, raising her eyebrows.

Dean didn't respond, instead he took out his cell phone and snapped a photo of Sam; he laughed and turned up the volume in the car, blasting the music, and began singing along. "A fire of unknown origin took my baby away!"

Sam jerked awake and sat up, spitting out the spoon while Liz sighed, rolling her eyes, and Dean drummed his hands on the steering wheel along with the music. Scowling, Sam turned down the volume. "Haha, very funny."

Dean chuckled, wincing when Liz swatted the back of his head. "Sorry," he apologized. "Not a lot of scenery here in east Texas, you kind of gotta make your own." And he laughed.

"Man, we're not kids anymore, Dean," Sam complained, and Liz sighed since they both realized what their big brother was up to. "We're not gonna start that crap up again."

"Start what up?" Dean asked innocently.

"That prank stuff…it's stupid, and it always escalates," Sam explained.

"And you always have me keep score," Liz added. "I hate getting caught in the middle of one of your stupid prank wars of doom."

"Oh, what's the matter, Sammy, you afraid you're gonna get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?" Dean asked, smiling.

Sam sighed, annoyed. "Alright. Just remember, you started it."

"Oh, bring it on, Baldy," Dean retorted, grinning now.

"Someone just shoot me now, please," Liz moaned._ 'I swear, if they go through with this stupid prank war, I'm going to prank them both good.'_

"Where are we, anyway?" Sam asked, now focusing on their new job.

"Few hours outside of Richardson," Dean answered. "Give me the lowdown again."

Sam straightening up in his seat, and he picked up a piece of paper from the dashboard. "Alright, about a month or two ago, this group of kids goes pokin' around in this local haunted house," he read aloud while Liz peered over his shoulder.

"Haunted by what?" Dean inquired.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit," Sam explained. "Legend goes, it takes girls and strings 'em up in the rafters. Anyway, this group of kids see this dead girl hangin' in the cellar."

Dean frowned. "Anybody ID the corpse?"

Sam shrugged. "Well, that's the thing. By the time the cops got there, the body was gone. So, cops are sayin' the kids were just yankin' chains."

"Okay, that's strange," Liz remarked.

"Well, maybe the cops are right," Dean commented.

"Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids' firsthand accounts," Sam told them. "They seem pretty sincere."

"Where'd you read these accounts?" Dean asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, I knew we were gonna be passing through Texas," Sam answered hesitantly. "So, uh, last night I searched some local…paranormal websites that Penelope Garcia suggested when I called her up for suggestions." And both Dean and Liz rolled their eyes. "And I found one."

"And what's it called?" Liz asked, sharing a look with Dean.

Sam was reluctant to answer, but he did anyways. "Hell Hound's Lair dot com."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, streaming live out of Mom's basement."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, probably," he agreed and even Liz laughed, since it was more than likely true.

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the persqueeter."

"Look, we let Dad take off, which was a mistake, by the way," Sam said seriously. "And now, we don't know where the hell he is, so, in the meantime, we've got to find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checkin' this thing out."

Dean nodded. "Alright. So, where do we find these kids?"

Sam shrugged. "Same place you always find kids in a town like this."

* * *

It wasn't long before Dean drove up to the Rodeo Drive-in, where he, Sam, and Liz interviewed three of the teens that'd been to the house.

"It was the scariest thing I ever saw in my life. I swear to God."

"From the moment we walked in. The walls were painted black-"

"Red-"

"I think it was blood."

"With all these freaky symbols."

"Crosses and stars-"

"And pentagons-"

"Pentecostals."

"Whatever. I had my eyes closed the whole time."

"But I can damn sure tell you this much, no matter what anybody else says."

"That poor girl."

"With the black-"

"Blonde-"

"Red hair, just hanging there."

"Kicking-"

"Without even moving."

"She was real."

"A hundred percent."

"And kinda hot. Well, you know, in a dead sort of way."

"Okay, uh…" Dean glanced at Sam and Liz, who were also confused.

"And how'd you find out about this place, anyway?" Sam asked.

"Craig. Craig took us," all three teens answered.

* * *

The next day, Dean, Liz, and Sam entered the records store and they walked over to Craig.

"Gentlemen, lady, can I help you with anything?" he asked as he put several records on display.

"Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?" Sam asked.

Craig nodded. "I am."

"Well, we're reporters with the _Dallas Morning News_," Dean told him. "I'm Dean, this is Liz, and that's Sam."

"No way," Craig said, impressed. "Yeah, I'm a writer, too. I write for my school's lit magazine."

Dean smiled. "Oh, good for you, Morrison."

"We're doing an article on local haunted places," Sam explained, "and rumor has it you might know about one."

"You mean the Hell House?" Craig asked.

Dean and Liz both nodded. "That's the one."

Craig shrugged. "I didn't think there was anything to the story."

"Why don't you tell us the story?" Sam suggested.

"Well, supposedly, back in the thirties, this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in the house with his six daughters," Craig explained. "It was during the Depression. His crops were failing. He didn't have enough money to even feed his own children. So, I guess that's when he went off the deep end."

"How?" Liz asked.

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick rather than starve to death," Craig continued. "So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop. But he just strung them up, one after another. And then, when he was all finished, he turned around and hung himself. Now, they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringin' up any other girl who goes inside."

"But where'd you hear all this?" Dean asked.

"My cousin, Dana, told me," Craig answered. "I don't know where she heard it from. You've gotta realize I didn't believe this for a second."

"But now you do?" Sam asked.

"I don't know what the hell to think, man," Craig responded, clearly shaken up. "Guys, I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, okay? That girl was real, and she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, okay?"

Sam, Liz, and Dean exchanged a look.

"Thanks." And they left.

* * *

One car ride later, Dean, Liz, and Sam were walking to the building in question.

"Can't say I blame the kid," Sam remarked once the house came into view.

Dean and Liz both nodded. "Yeah, so much for curb appeal." And Sam laughed, agreeing.

Sam and Liz tried to peer through the windows of the house, but couldn't see anything through the grime, and they joined Dean, who was standing nearby with the EMF meter, which was beeping.

"You got somethin'?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded, frowning at the readings, which were all over the place. "Yeah. The EMF's no good."

"Why?" Liz asked.

Dean nodded towards a nearby telephone pole. "I think that thing's still got a little juice in it," he informed them. "It's screwin' with all the readings."

Sam glanced at the transformer and nodded. "Yeah, that'd do it."

"Just peachy," Liz groaned.

"Yep," Dean agreed, putting away the EMF meter. "Come on, let's go." And they entered the house.

* * *

The Winchesters entered and looked around at the symbols on the wall.

"Looks like Old Man Murdoch was a bit of a tagger during his time," Dean remarked, partly joking.

"And after his time, too," Sam added, using his phone to take pictures of everything. "The reversed cross has been used by Satanists for centuries, but this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the sixties," he informed them.

"No way that a ghost could've know that," Liz agreed.

Dean looked at him strangely. "This is exactly why you never get laid." And went to look at another symbol. "Hey, what about this one? Either of you seen this one before?" he asked, nodding to a upside-down cross with a hook on the bottom.

Liz and Sam walked over, and he took a picture of the symbol with his phone, both neither of them recognized the symbol. "No."

"I have," Dean said thoughtfully. "Somewhere."

Reaching up, Sam ran his finger along the symbol. "It's paint. Seems pretty fresh, too."

Dean frowned, now wondering if this was their kind of case or not. "I don't know, Sam, Liz," he said, voicing his thoughts. "I mean, I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but the cops might be right about this one."

"Looks like it," Liz agreed.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

Just then, they heard a noise coming from another room; exchanging a look, they turned and moved toward either side of the door. Nodding to each other, they crashed through it and found two computer geeks, Ed and Harry, standing in front of them, and they were carrying flashlights, along with other video equipment.

"Cut!" Ed shouted, frustrated as he lowered the camcorder and Harry lowered his flashlight, which had been blinding the Winchesters upon entering. "Just a couple humans. What are you guys doing here?"

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Dean asked, blinking and lowering his hand once he could see again.

"Uh, we belong here," Ed said, scoffing. "We're professionals."

"Professional what?" Liz asked, resisting the impulse to say the word "nutcase", even though it was most likely fitting in this situation.

Ed smirked. "Paranormal investigators," he answered, taking out three business cards and handed them to the Winchesters. "There ya go. Take a look at that, boys, pretty lady."

Liz glared at him while they read the cards.

"Oh, you've gotta be kiddin' me," Dean groaned, and Liz rolled her eyes.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler," Sam read aloud. "Hell Hound's Lair dot com, you guys run that website."

Ed nodded. "Yeah."

Dean rolled his eyes as both he and Liz walked past them to explore the room, finding some spray paint cans in a cupboard, and the equipment. "Oh, yeah," he joked. "Yeah, we're huge fans."_ 'Jerks.'_

"And, uh, we know who you guys are, too," Ed added, which made the Winchesters instantly nervous.

Sam nodded. "Oh, yeah?"

"Amateurs," Ed answered, which allowed the three siblings to relax. "Lookin' for ghosts and cheap thrills."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "So, if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here."

Ed nodded. "Mmhmm."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, picking up a piece of headgear, which screamed _Ghostbusters_ to him and Liz, who was stifling her laughter. "What do you got so far?"

"Uh, Harry, why don't you tell 'em about EMF?" Ed suggested to his partner, who wasn't looking too keen.

Sam pretended to not know what they were talking about. "EMF?"

"Electromagnetic field," Harry answered matter-of-factly as he walked over to his bag and removed an EMF meter. "Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector, like this bad boy right here," he explained when the EMF detector started buzzing. "Whoa, whoa. That's 2.8 MG."

Ed was excited. "2.8."

"It's hot in here," Harry agreed.

"Wow," Sam said, pretending to be impressed since it was most likely the transformer outside messing with their gear.

"Huh. So, have you guys ever really seen a ghost before, or-?" Dean asked.

"Once," Ed answered promptly. "We were, uh…we were investigating this old house, and we saw a vase fall right off the table."

"By itself," Harry added.

"Well, we didn't actually see it, but we heard it," Ed corrected and both Dean and Liz shook their heads in shame while managing to not laugh. "And something like that, it, uh…it changes you.

Sam pretended to be riveted.

"Yeah. I think I get the picture," Dean said with mock seriousness. "We should go…let them get back to work." He and Liz walked over to their younger sibling and grinned.

"Yeah, you should," Harry agreed.

Dean and Liz walked through the doorway. "Sam?" and their brother followed.

"Yeah, work." Ed laughed as the Winchesters left. "I'm sorry," he added, apologizing to Harry, who was giving him a hard look. "That pot we smoked gave me the giggles. Woo!" and he walked away.

* * *

A/N: Ed and Harry always make me laugh because of how _thick_ they are, claiming to be professionals when it comes to the supernatural and yet, they've been rescued by the Winchesters twice. So, the important notice I mentioned above is that next week, during the time I would normally be posting the next chapter, I will be going out of town to attend an comic con with my sister, Yami Faerie, that's being held in Salt Lake City, and I don't know how early we'll be leaving to attend for those three days. So, I will probably post the next chapter a day early. R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: A PRANK AND A TWIST

Supernatural: Hell House

A/N: Turns out that I'll be posting this chapter today after all; so you all know, tomorrow and Saturday, my sister and I will be going to the Salt Lake Comic Con, which will be the first to be held ever in Salt Lake City. Yeah, it isn't a major one like the one held in San Diego and Chicago, but I'm looking forward to it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_ or from _Criminal Minds_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: A PRANK AND A TWIST**

After returning to the town a few hours later, Sam left the County Courthouse holding some research and met both Dean and Liz outside.

"Hey," Sam said.

"Hey. What do you got?" Dean asked as they walked back to the car.

"Well, I couldn't find a Mordechai, but with Garcia's help, I did turn up a Martin Murdoch who lived in that house in the thirties," Sam informed them. "He did have children, but only two of 'em…both boys. And there was no record he ever killed anybody."

Dean nodded. "Huh."

"What about you guys?" Sam asked.

"Well, those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl, but we did hit up the police station. No matching missing persons…it's like she never existed," Dean explained as they reached the car. "Dude, come on, man. We did our digging, this one's a bust, alright? For all we know, those Hell Hound boys made up the whole thing."

"Yeah, alright," Sam agreed reluctantly.

Dean nodded. "So, I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers, and leave the legend to the locals." And both he and Liz got into the car while Sam remained outside, smirking as Dean started the car; when he turned it on, fast-paced Salsa music blasted from the speakers, and the windshield wipers started to move back and forth. Both Dean and Liz jumped, startled, and he rushed to turn everything off. Sam got in the car, laughing.

"What the-?" Dean began when Sam licked his finger and drew a number one in the air, then pointed to himself and mouthed, "Me?" getting a groan out of Liz. "That's all you got? That's weak. That is Bush-league," he growled while their brother continued laughing as they drove away.

* * *

That night, a group of three teenagers were standing outside the house.

"This is it," the boy told the girl, Jill. "The point of no return."

"Why do I have to go in there?" Jill asked, both reluctantly and nervously.

"Because, Jill, you chose dare instead of truth," the girl pointed out. "Which means you either have to go grab a jar from Mordechai's cellar and bring it back, or-?"

"Or you can make out with me," the boy added as he smirked.

Jill scowled. "I'll take the homicidal ghost, thanks." And she took the flashlight from him and entered the house.

"Would you ever take that dare?" the boy asked the remaining girl.

"Hell, no," the girl responded.

* * *

Jill entered the house and looked around when she heard a loud noise come from another room. "Hello? Hello? Is anybody there?" she called out, but when there was no reply, she continued to look around and made her way to the cellar.

* * *

Jill walked downstairs and observed the jars on the shelves; she took one from the shelf, but heard a noise and dropped it, causing the jar to shatter. Frantically, she looked around and found Mordechai Murdoch standing before her; she screamed as he tied a noose around her neck and began to hang her in the rafters. Her glasses fell off, but Mordechai crushed them as she continued to scream and choke until she died completely.

* * *

The next morning, several ambulances and sheriffs were surrounding the building, and Jill's body was being carried out of the house in a body bag, when Dean, Liz, and Sam walked up to an onlooker.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"Couple of cops say that poor girl hung herself in the house," the man answered.

"Suicide?" Sam asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah. But she was a straight-A student, with a full ride to UT, too. It just don't make sense." And he walked away.

"What do you think?" Sam asked Dean and Liz as they watched the body bag get placed into the ambulance on a stretcher.

"I think maybe we missed somethin'," Dean remarked, frowning.

* * *

That night, a couple of sheriffs were still guarding the house, and Dean, Liz, and Sam were watching the building from behind some trees.

"I guess the cops don't want anymore kids screwin' around in there," Sam remarked.

Dean nodded, frustrated. "Yeah, but we still gotta get in there." Just then, he heard whispering, and groaned when he found the source. "I don't believe it."

Both Sam and Liz turned around and they saw Ed and Harry walking towards the house with all their equipment.

"What're they doing here?" Liz muttered, still annoyed with their last encounter with those two jerks.

Dean suddenly smiled. "I got an idea." He then stood up behind the trees and shouted a familiar line from _Ghostbusters_. "Who ya gonna call?"

Hearing the shout, one of the sheriffs spotted Ed and Harry. "Hey! You!" they began to chase after them. While they were running away, the Winchesters managed to slip past them and got into the house.

* * *

Dean, Liz, and Sam entered and got out their weapons.

"Man, where have I seen that symbol before?" Dean grumbled, aiming his flashlight at the symbol in question. "It's killin' me!"

"Come on," Sam hissed, "we don't have much time."

* * *

The Winchesters went downstairs and looked around; Dean picked up a jar from the shelf and examined it.

"Hey, Sam," he said grinning, "I dare you to take a swig of this."

Sam and Liz exchanged a look. "What the hell would I do that for?"

Dean was silent for a moment. "I double-dare you."

Sam shook his head when they heard a noise from another area of the room. Dean put the jar down and got his weapon ready; they walked over to a cabinet, where Dean motioned for Sam to open the door. He opened it and several rats scurried onto the floor, prompting Liz to yelp since she wasn't a fan of rats.

Dean grimaced. "Ugh, I hate rats."

"You'd rather it was a ghost?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yes."

They turned and found Mordechai standing behind them with an axe; Sam quickly shot Mordechai a few times, and he dissolved into a cloud of smoke.

"What the hell? What kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?" Sam asked, surprised.

"I don't know," Dean admitted, surprised as well. "Come on, come on, come on." And they ran for the stairs.

Mordechai reappeared and began smashing all the shelves; he tried to swing at Sam, but he held up his rifle to stop the axe from hitting him.

"Go! Get out of here!"

They managed to get away from Mordechai and ran back up the stairs as fast as they could.

* * *

Having escape the sheriffs, Ed and Harry were looking around outside.

"Maybe we should just go," Harry suggested.

"No," Ed snapped. "Would John Edward go? Now, we've lost the cops, let's find our center, and get some work done, okay?" and Harry reluctantly nodded. "Alright."

A second later, Dean, Liz, and Sam came running out of the house, and both Ed and Harry focused their cameras on them.

"Get that damn thing out of my face!" Dean snapped as they ran past them, and Mordechai showed up in the front doorway.

"Sweet Lord of the Rings…run!" Harry yelped and they ran away, but the sheriffs stopped them. "But there's a…with an axe…where'd he go?" he wondered since Mordechai had vanished from the doorway.

"Boys, come on," the sheriff growled and they pinned them against the police car.

* * *

Later on, Sam was doing more research on the computer, and both Liz and Dean were lying on the bed, where he was drawing the symbol from the house on a notepad.

"What the hell is this symbol?" Dean complained. "It's buggin' the hell outta me. This whole damn job is buggin' me. I thought the legend said that Mordechai only goes after chicks."

"He does," Sam confirmed.

"Right. Well, then that explains why he went after you and Liz, but why me?" Dean wondered, wincing when Liz kicked his shin.

"Hilarious," Sam muttered, not amused in the slightest. "The legend also says he hung himself, but you see those slit wrists?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"I was expecting a rope burn around his neck, not damage to his wrists," Liz added.

"What's up with that?" Sam wondered, agreeing with his sister. "And the axe, too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?"

"But his mood keeps changin'," Dean confirmed.

"Exactly," Sam agreed, logging onto the Hell Hounds' website. "I'm tellin' you, the way the story goes…wait a minute."

"What?" Dean asked.

"Someone added a new post into the Hell Hounds' site," Sam told them. "Listen to this." And he started reading the post. "They say Mordechai Murdoch was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity." While listening, Dean kept studying the symbol, and then suddenly sat up and almost knocked Liz off the bed as he realized something. "Where the hell is this going?" he wondered.

"I don't know, but I think I might have just figured out where it all started," Dean said, smiling at Sam and got off the bed.

* * *

Craig was sitting at the cash register, frustrated and upset; he got up and started to walk away, just as Dean, Liz, and Sam entered.

"Hey, Craig. Remember us?" Dean called out.

Sighing, Craig turned around. "Guys, I'm really not in the mood to answer anymore of your questions, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry," Dean said reassuringly, "we're just here to buy an album, that's all." Rolling his eyes, Craig turned away; Dean looked through some albums, chose one, and then they walked over to him. "You know, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was, and then I realized, it doesn't mean anything. It's a logo for Blue Oyster Cult," he told his siblings while Craig turned to face them, guilty. "So, tell me, Craig…are you into BOC? Or just scarin' the hell outta people?" he asked, handing the album to the young man, who flipped it over and saw the symbol. "So, why don't you tell us about that house without lyin' through your ass this time," he suggested.

Craig sighed. "Alright, um…my cousin, Dana, was on break from TCU, and I guess we were just bored, lookin' for something to do, so I showed her this abandoned dump I found," he explained.

_Craig and Dana were in the house, nailing objects to the walls, as well as painting symbols on the floors and walls. Later, Dana puts on makeup and Craig puts a noose around her neck. She jokingly pretends to choke, and they laugh._

"We thought it'd be funny if we made it look like it was haunted," he explained. "So, we painted symbols on the walls…some from some albums, and some from some of Dana's theology textbooks. And then we found out this guy Murdoch used to live there, so we made up some story to go along with that. So, they told people, who told other people, and then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean, I thought it was funny at first, but…now that girl's dead. And he began to cry. "It was just a joke, you know, I mean…none of it was real, we made the whole thing up, I swear," he promised, wiping away his tears.

Dean nodded. "Alright." And they headed for the door, where he leaned in closer to his siblings so that Craig couldn't hear them. "If none of it was real, then how the hell do you explain Mordechai?" And they left. What on Earth was going on?

* * *

Later that same day, both Dean and Liz entered the room and she closed the door behind them while Dean tossed the car keys onto the table. Sam was in the shower, and Dean took advantage of the moment to pull out a packet of itching powder pouring it over Sam's clothes while ignoring Liz's exasperated look.

"Hey, we're back," Dean called out.

_`"Hey. Where were you guys?"`_ Sam asked as he turned the water off in the bathroom.

"Oh, we went out," Dean answered vaguely, rubbing the clothes together without getting any of the powder onto himself.

Sam took the answer in stride. _`"So, I think I might have a theory about what's goin' on."`_

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked.

_`"Yeah,"`_ Sam responded. _`"What if Mordechai is a tulpa?"`_

"A tulpa?" Liz repeated.

Just then, Sam came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist; Dean jumped and hid the powder. "Yeah, a Tibetan thought form."

"Yeah, I know what a tulpa is," Dean said quickly. "Hey, why don't you get dressed? We'll go grab somethin' to eat." He then smiled and went into the bathroom.

"I'll be in the car," Liz muttered with an eye roll and left the room.

Nodding, Sam walked over to the bed and grabbed his clothes.

* * *

An hour later, Dean, Liz, and Sam got their food and went to a nearby table to sit down. Sam was shifting uncomfortably and trying to scratch himself.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Dean asked, hiding a smirk.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Sam answered quickly as they sat down at their table.

Dean raised his eyebrows while Liz sighed again, wondering how long they were going to keep pulling pranks on either other? "Yeah?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Dean nodded, enjoying the moment. "Alright, so, keep goin', what about these tulpas?"

"Okay, uh, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915," Sam explained, pulling out his laptop. "A group of monks visualized a golem in their heads. They meditate on it so hard, they bring the thing to life-out of thin air."

Dean and Liz exchanged a look, uncertain. "So?"

"That was twenty monks," Sam stated. "Imagine what ten thousand web surfers could do. I mean, Craig starts a story about Mordechai, and it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bastard."

"Okay, wait a second. You're trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?" Dean asked surprised.

Sam nodded and shifted uncomfortably again. "I don't know, maybe."

"People believe in Santa Claus," Dean pointed out. "How come I'm not gettin' hooked up every Christmas?"

"'Cause you're a bad person," Sam retorted and Liz laughed as he typed something on the computer. "And because of this," he added, turning the computer so that his older siblings could see; on the monitor was a picture of another symbol on the wall of the house. "That's a Tibetan spirit sigil on the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet you they painted this not even knowing what it was. Now, that sigil has been used for centuries…concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So, people are on the Hell Hounds' website, starin' at the symbol, thinkin' about Mordechai…I mean, I don't know. But it might be enough to bring a tulpa to life."

"It would explain why he keeps changin'," Dean said thoughtfully, slipping his coffee.

"Right," Sam confirmed. "As the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes, like a game of telephone. That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work."

Dean and Liz both nodded. "Yeah, 'cause he's not a traditional spirit, per se."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, scratching himself.

"Okay, so, uh, why don't we just get this spirit sigil thingy off the wall and off the website?" Dean suggested.

"Well, it's not that simple," Sam said. "You see, once tulpas are created, they take on a life of their own."

"Oh joy," Liz groaned. "That's just peachy."

"Great," Dean sighed, agreeing with his twin. "Alright, so, if he really is a thought form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?"

"Well, it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us," Sam added, clicking several areas. "Check out their homepage." The video on the website showed the events from the previous night at the house. "Since they posted the video, the number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone."

Dean stared at the screen thoughtfully. "Huh. I got an idea. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Sam asked as he shut the laptop and gathered his things.

"I gotta find a copy store," Dean answered, standing up. "Liz, start being creative."

"Um, creative how?" Liz asked, confused.

"I'll explain on the way."

Sam was still scratching. "Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or somethin'," he complained when Dean laughed and walked away with Liz, who was rolling her eyes again. "You did this?" he asked, realizing that he'd just been prank on when his big brother laughed again. "You're a friggin' jerk."

"Oh, yeah!" Dean confirmed as the score was now tied.

Vowing revenge to himself, Sam took his bag and coffee and followed at them._ 'I'm _so_ going to win this prank war if it's the last thing that I do!'_

* * *

A/N: Current score Dean: 2 Sam: 1. R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: PLANTING THE STORY

Supernatural: Hell House

A/N: I return with the newest chapter, folks! And so you all know I had a great time at Comic Con during the weekend, and I look forward to going again next year.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_ or from _Criminal Minds_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: PLANTING THE STORY**

Ed and Harry were inside their trailer, working on their website.

"No, no, no," Harry protested when Ed suggested they go back to the Hell House, and hit several keys on the keyboard before turning away in his chair. "No, forget it. Forget it, I'm not going back in there again."

"Harry, look at me. Right here, okay?" Ed ordered until his partner finally looked at him. "You are a ghost hunter, okay?"

Harry sighed, still shaken up by the events of last night. "I know, but, Ed, I've never actually seen a real ghost before, like a real ghost, it's like an apparition!"

"This stuff right here…this is our ticket to the big time," Ed reminded him, pointing to their website page. "Fame, money, sex. With girls, okay? Be brave. Okay, WWBD. What would Buffy do? Huh?"

"What would Buffy do?" Harry repeated, but was still uncertain. "I don't know, but, Ed, she's stronger than me."

"It's okay," Ed said reassuringly when there was a loud knocking on the door of the trailer, making Harry yelp and he almost fell out of his seat.

"Who is it?" Harry called out weakly.

_`"Come on out here, guys, we hear you in there,"`_ Dean responded.

Ed groaned and they both got out of their chairs. "It's them." And they opened the door, finding Sam, Liz, and Dean waiting on the other side.

"Oh, look at that," Dean teased. "Action figures in their original packaging. What a shocker."

"Ooh, that's just too sweet," Liz added, grinning. "I'm almost tempted to take a picture."

"Guys, we need to talk," Sam said seriously.

"Yeah, um, sorry, guys," Ed said, stepping out of the trailer with Harry next to him. "We're, uh…we're a little bit busy right now."

"Okay, well, we'll make it quick," Dean said. "We need you to shut down your website."

Ed laughed, obviously thinking that they were joking and glanced at Harry, who was weakly smiling. "Man, you know, these guys get us busted last night, we spend the night in a holding cell."

"I had to pee in that cell urinal in front of people," Harry complained. "And I get stage fright."

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed asked, skeptical.

"Look, guys, we all know what we saw last night, what's in the house," Sam stated. "But now, thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearin' about Mordechai."

Dean and Liz both nodded. "That's right, which means people are gonna keep showin' up at the Hell House, runnin' into him in person…somebody could get hurt."

Ed scoffed. "Yeah."

"Ed, maybe he's got a point," Harry began.

Ed shook his head. "No, no."

"Nope," Harry agreed quickly.

"Okay, we have an obligation to our fans, to the truth," Ed said, lecturing them.

"Well, I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now-" Dean began angrily.

"Dean, Dean, hey, hey. Forget it, alright?" Sam said quickly, cutting in. "These guys…I could probably bitch-slap them both. I could probably even tell 'em that thing about Mordechai-" he paused when Ed and Harry suddenly looked very interested "-but they're still not gonna help us. So, let's just go."

Dean and Liz both nodded, disappointed. "Yeah, you're right."

And they walked away; eagerly Ed and Harry began following them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you say about-?" Ed called out frantically. "Hold on a second here."

"Wait, wait. Yeah, what thing about Mordechai, you guys?" Harry asked.

"Don't tell 'em, Sam," Dean ordered.

"But if they agree to shut their website down, Dean, Liz-" Sam began.

"They're not gonna do it," Dean cut in. "You said so yourself."

"Yeah, its pointless," Liz agreed.

"No, wait, wait," Ed pleaded. "Don't listen to them, okay? We'll do it." And Dean, Liz, and Sam all stopped walking and turned to face them. "We'll do it."

Dean, Liz, and Sam all exchanged a look. "It's a secret, Sam."

"Look, it is a pretty big deal, alright?" Sam said uncertainly. "And it wasn't easy to dig up. So, only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down."

ED nodded eagerly. "Totally."

Sam sighed. "Alright." Exchanging a look with Liz, Dean took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to them. "It's a death certificate from the thirties," Sam explained. "We got it at the library. Now, according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

"That's right," Dean agreed, "he didn't hang or cut himself."

"He shot himself?" Harry repeated.

"Yup," Sam confirmed. "With a .45 pistol. To this day, they say he's terrified of 'em."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds, you could kill the son of a bitch."

Ed took the death certificate from Dean and exchanged a smile with Harry, who suddenly ran back to the trailer while Ed walked behind him, telling him to calm down a bit while the Winchesters hoped that their plan would work.

* * *

Later that same day, Sam, Liz, and Dean were eating at a booth, and on the wall next to them, mounted on a piece of wood, was a painted wooden fisherman holding a fish in his hands. Curious, Dean pulled the string under the piece of wood, and the fisherman began to laugh in a _very_ creepy manner; Liz sighed, and Sam, who was checking his laptop, pulled the string to stop the sound.

"If you pull that string one more time, I'm gonna kill you," he said warningly.

"I'll pay you to do it, Sam," Liz suggested, wincing when Dean elbowed her in the side.

And then he pulled the string again, but Sam stopped the laughing again, and he laughed.

"Come on, man. You need more laughter in your life, you know, you're way too tense," Dean suggested while Sam just took a sip of beer. "They post it yet?" he asked finally, and Sam turned the computer to both Dean and Liz, who read what was posted. "We have learned from reputable sources that Mordechai Murdoch has a fatal fear of firearms." Alright. How long do we wait?"

Shrugging, Sam closed the laptop. "Long enough for the new story to spread and the legend to change," he said. "I figure by nightfall, iron rounds will work on the sucker." And he held up his beer bottle.

Dean and Liz both grinned. "Sweet." They tapped their bottles against Sam's before taking a drink, and he smirked. When Dean went to put the bottle down, it was glued to his hand, and Sam laughed while Liz almost choked on her own beer. "You didn't."

Sam held up a bottle of superglue, smiling. "Oh, I did," he confirmed, making the score 2 to 1, leaving Dean shocked; still laughing, he pulled the string and the wooden fisherman began to laugh. Even Liz was amused by this particular prank.

* * *

Night had fallen, and the two sheriffs assigned to watching the house, were looking around in the trees.

"I'm tellin' ya," one of them said quietly, "I heard something comin' from over there."

Nearby, they could hear the strange laughter of something in the trees.

"See? There it is again."

They looked around and finally found the wooden fisherman hanging from a tree.

"What is that? What the-?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dean, Liz, and Sam entered with guns and flashlights and looked around.

"I barely have any skin left on my palm," Dean complained, adjusting the gun in his right hand.

"I'm not touchin' that line with a ten-foot pole," Sam said and grimaced when Dean shined his flashlight in his face.

"Oh, focus you two," Liz ordered as they moved into another room, and faced the door leading into the cellar.

"So, you think old Mordechai's home?" Dean asked, preparing his gun.

Sam and Liz both shrugged. "We don't know."

"Me neither," Ed said, startling the Winchesters, who whirled around, aiming their guns and flashlights at Ed and Harry, who also jumped and screamed. "Whoa, whoa! Hey!" he protested, lifting up his night-vision goggles, which were now useless because of the flashlights.

"What are you tryin' to do, get yourself killed?" Sam asked, annoyed as he and his siblings turned back to face the door again, although it was obvious that any element of surprise they had before was now gone.

"We're just tryin' to get a book and movie deal, okay?" Ed informed them, when they all heard the sound of sharpening knives coming from behind the door. "Oh, crap," he moaned, raising the camcorder. "Uh, guys, you wanna go open that door for us?"

"Why don't you?" Dean retorted, keeping his eyes fixed on the door.

A moment later, Mordechai burst through the door with his ax raised, and the Winchesters opened fired, shooting him several times, and he dissolved into a cloud of smoke; deciding to make sure that their plan had worked, Sam, Liz, and Dean all left the room to look around.

Ed was dumbfounded. "Oh, he's gone. He's gone."

"Did you get him?" Harry asked, heart pounding.

Ed nodded, still stunned and not really hearing what his friend was asking. "Oh, yeah, they got him."

"No, on camera, did you get him on camera?" Harry asked, now annoyed.

Ed stared blankly at the device in his hands. "Uh, I…"

Exasperated, Harry grabbed the camera from him to look for himself; when suddenly, Mordechai appeared and destroyed the camera with his axe, knocking Harry to the floor, and Mordechai disappeared again, just as the Winchesters returned to the room, having heard their shouts.

"Hey. Didn't you guys post that BS story we gave you?" Dean demanded.

Ed nodded. "Of course we did."

"Yeah, but then our server crashed," Harry added, getting back up.

Ed nodded again. "Yeah."

Dean and Liz exchanged a shock look. "So, it didn't take?"

Ed gave them an uncertain look that had a touch of confusion in it. "Uh…"

"So, these guns don't work?" Liz asked, holding her gun up as an example.

Ed nodded, finally getting it. "Yeah."

"Great," Dean groaned. "Sam, any ideas?"

Sam shrugged and was clearly annoyed.

"We are getting out of here," Harry declared, pushing past the Winchester twins, having had enough.

"Yeah," Ed mumbled, not moving.

"Come on, Ed," Harry growled, going back to grab his friend, and pulled him out of the room; they were halfway to the front door, when Mordechai reappeared, roaring. They screamed and ran down a different hallway, where they tried to get through a different door, but it was locked; Mordechai found them, and they flattened themselves against the wall as he drew closer.

"Mary and Joseph," Harry whimpered.

"The power of Christ compels you," Ed said quickly, obviously hoping it would keep Mordechai back. "The power of Christ compels you!" he shouted as Mordechai raised his ax to strike.

Just then, Sam entered. "Hey!" he shouted, and Mordechai turned to him. "Come and get it, you ugly son of a bitch," he added.

Mordechai swung at him, but Sam ducked and the axe hit the wall instead, becoming momentarily stuck; but Mordechai managed to pull it free and swung again, this time, he pinned Sam against the wall with his axe and began to choke him.

"Get out of here! Now!" Sam gasped.

"Run!" Ed shouted, running past, Harry at his heels.

"Yeah, we're outta here." And they fled the house.

* * *

Meanwhile in another room, Dean and Liz were quickly pouring lighter fluid all over the floor.

* * *

In the hallway, Sam was still being choked by Mordechai, who easily lifted him off the floor in the process.

"Dean! Liz!" Sam shouted as his vision started to go black.

At that exact moment, the Winchester twins entered.

"Hey!" Dean shouted, getting the attention of Mordechai, who paused and looked at them; acting quickly, they both held up a pair of aerosol cans over a lighter, and twin sprays burst into flame. Startled, Mordechai let go of Sam, who fell to the floor, and scrambled away to avoid being hit.

"Go, go, go! Come on!" Dean shouted as he and Liz helped their little brother up and pulled him toward the front door. "Look, if Mordechai can't leave the house, and we can't kill him, we improvise," he added.

He lighted the lighter and threw it on the floor, which caused the room to burst into flame.

* * *

The Winchesters ran out of the house, and Mordechai followed them, but stopped at the front door once again, still unable to leave.

Dean, Liz, and Sam ran behind the nearby trees and then looked back at the burning house as Mordechai turned into smoke once again.

"That's the solution?" Sam gasped, stunned. "Burn the whole damn place to the ground?"

"Well, no one will go in anymore," Dean stated. "I mean, look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty, but it works."

"I'm with Dean," Liz agreed, bent double and was panting. "Only option left."

"But, what if the legend changes again, and Mordechai is allowed to leave the house?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Well, then, we'll just have to come back." And they all fell silent for a moment.

"Kind of makes you wonder," Sam remarked, "of all the things we've hunted, how many existed just 'cause people believed in 'em?"

This comment left both Dean and Liz looking thoughtful as they watched the house go up in flames.

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap on this chapter, see you all for the final one next week. R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: ONE FINAL PRANK

Supernatural: Hell House

A/N: A vast me hearties! Yes, it is National Talk like a Pirate Day and I'm posting a new chapter for all you happy people! So, enjoy this final chapter me hearties!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_ or from _Criminal Minds_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR: ONE FINAL PRANK**

The next day, the Winchesters were waiting at a table near the trailer when Ed and Harry showed up with grocery bags in their arms, having just done some shopping.

"Gentlemen, lady," Ed said coolly as he and Harry walked toward their car, which was attached to the front of their trailer.

"Hey, guys," Sam said, greeting them as they started walking together.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asked Ed.

Ed shrugged. "Oh, you might as well, you know they're just gonna read about it in the trades soon enough."

"So, this morning, we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer," Harry informed them.

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked lightly. "Wrong number?"

"No, smartass," Ed retorted. "He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights - maybe even have us write it," he explained as he and Harry put the bags into their car, which was already packed.

"And create the RPG," Harry added.

"The what?" Dean asked.

"Role-playing game," Harry answered.

Dean still didn't know what he mean. "Right."

"Think of the _Dungeons & Dragons_ game from the _E.T._ movie," Liz suggested, and Dean nodded, now fully understanding.

"It's a little lingo for ya," Ed said, smirking at them. "Any who, uh, excuse us, we're off to La-La Land."

"Well, congratulations, guys," Sam said, impressed, "that sounds really great."

"Yeah, that's awesome," Dean agreed while Liz nodded. "Best of luck to ya."

"Oh, yeah, luck - it's got nothin' to do with it. It's about talent, you know? Sheer, unabashed, talent," Ed said confidently and gave them a peace sign. "Later." He and Harry then got into their car. "See you around." And they drove away.

Sam, Liz, and Dean all laughed and started walking back to their car.

"Wow."

"I have a confession to make," Sam admitted.

Dean and Liz both looked at him, curious. "What's that?"

Sam smirked. "I was the one who called them and told 'em I was a producer."

They reached the Impala and laughed.

"Well, I'm the one who put the dead fish in their backseat," Dean confessed and they laughed again.

"I got something for you two," Liz said, and handed them both wrapped cupcakes.

"Wow, thanks, Liz," Dean said, delighted as both he and Sam unwrapped them and bit into them-

"Ack!"

"Yuck!"

-and the Winchester boys both promptly spit out the chocolate/white guck and Liz burst out laughing. "Got ya both!"

Dean and Sam both stared at their sister, dumbfounded. Liz had just prank them both?

"What did you do to these cupcakes?" Dean asked, confused.

"And how did you do it without unwrapping them?" Sam added, equally confused.

Liz grinned. "I injected salt water into the cupcakes using a needle _without_ removing the wrappers," she explained. "So can we _please_ end this prank war now?"

Sam glanced at Dean. "Truce?" he asked.

"Yeah, truce," Dean agreed as they both threw away the ruined cupcakes. "At least for the next hundred miles," he added, grinning, and both Sam and Liz sighed. At least the prank war was over for now; they got into the car and drove away.

* * *

A/N: Final score of the prank war: Dean: 1, Sam: 2, and Liz: 1. R&R everyone!


End file.
